Just wondering what some of the steam folks on here use to clean/shine/polish the brass/copper steam locomotive gauges. I've managed to get the copper ring polished up on the steam gauge, but the brass on the other 2 gauges are proving to be a bit more difficult. I used a product called Noxon7 (or something like that) to clean the copper, and it worked great. But, it's not working woth a damn on the brass. THere is a lot of tarnish on the brass, so any ideas would be most appreciated. Also, what do you seal it with afterwards, to keep it from tarnishing again?

Ken Jones Jr.
Niagara Falls Railway Museum
http://www.nfrm.ca

The U.S. Navy has been using Brasso for years to clean and polish "bright work" (brass fittings) exposed to the salt air.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brasso

If they are so tarnished that just using Noxon/Brasso won't cut through it, try applying either one using some very, very fine steel wool instead of a rag and work it that way until you get some sort of a shine, then use a rag until it looks shined enough. Use Neverdull polish regularly to keep the shine looking fresh. Most hardware stores and department stores have it in stock.

You may need to disassemble the parts and work them on a buffing wheel. A buffing wheel is a big cloth wheel fitted to a grinder/polisher. Various grades, coarse to fine, of buffing compound are available. Buffing will blend in bad scratches and remove thick layers of beer colored oxidation.

I did this in the past with neglected, antique lamp fixtures. I then lacquered the parts and they looked like store bought.

Mentioned above was Brasso. Another thing used in the US Navy (or it was 20 years ago!) for tough brightwork was cigarette ashes, some spit and a rag.

A buffing wheel on a hand drill and brasso will really work, but corners and fine work will need to be done by hand anyway. As someone else mentioned, steel wool will tear off the patina, but it will take some work with brasso to restore the bright, bright shine.

Some clear lacquer or shellac applied in a dust free environment will keep the tarnish off for a long time, although this doesn't work well if the brass will be subject to dings from other objects and is a pain to remove when you have to repolish.

One reason you might be having the problem you are having is because you might be working through an over coat.

Bob

On a related note, other than Ebay, does anyone have a source for replacement gages that at least look right on a steam locomotive? I have a number of sources for industrial gages, but none of them look like they belong on a locomotive. Especially looking for duplex air gages about 6" in dia.

Greg

Go to pier 1, and buy some of those cheap spun brass spittoons or pans, and cut off the rim to decorate a new gauge, then go to a clock shop and buy an old style hand for the gauge. Also, you could find a guy to spin you a new case and mount the gauge mechanism in that case. We have a local person here who restores old lamps, and he is quite adept at spinning sheet metal on a lathe into all sorts of contours.

Hi,

No gauges that can pass for true locomotive gauges have been made for sixty or seventy years. You can't "fake" a working locomotive gauge because an inspector will just laugh at it and throw it in the trash.

On Ebay, with patience, you can find gauges with the railroad standard overall diameter of eight inches (6 3/4 face) and a top pressure limit of 300 or 400 lbs for a reasonable price. They won't be marked "Locomotive" on the face, but you can find a twenties era gauge with a heavy brass rim for under 100 dollars, usually. If the case is brass too, it might cost a little more. For railroad service, it has to be a double tube (often called double spring) gauge or an auxilliary spring gauge. A single spring gauge is not suitable. If you don't know the difference, do a little research on the internet. Any gauge of the correct size marked "Double Spring" or "Auxilliary Spring" and with a top pressure of twice the working pressure of the locomotive will be fine. Ashton made the best railroad gauges. Many of them in locomotive service were not marked "Locomotive" on the face.

If you buy an old gauge, you can find a gauge collector who will clean and regulate it for you. If the gauge has to be certified accurate, then you have to send it off to a regulating company no matter what or how old it is.

Hope this helps,

Tim

There is no easy way to clean heavily tarnished brass. Rubbing it with Brasso is like trying to strip paint with Windex.

What I use is KRC-7, a toilet cleaner with phosphoric acid in it. Nearly any nasty acid will do, but if you can get the above at a plumbing supply place, you'll be ahead of the game. Dilute the acidic cleaner about ten or 20 parts water to one part cleaner in a plastic bucket and throw the gauge ring in it for ten minutes. Pull it out, rinse, and polish with a scotchbrite pad. Repeat if necessary. You should get a nice satin effect on the brass. If you want gloss, rinse the acid off and use 000 steel wool and or Brasso to polish. Do not use steel wool with acid because it will turn the brass penny-red like copper. Now, you can polish with brasso for an even glossier shine, if you want. If you want to do the case, remove the works except for the bourdon tube if you can't get it out, and use paint remover to get all the paint and gunk off the case. Then throw it in the bucket of acidic cleaner. Never leave anything in the cleaner very long, because it will begin to pit. For lighter maintenance, just paint the case and shine the front rim (the bezel). The process is not pleasant (I use a face mask or respirator and rubber gloves) but it has many applications for artifact restoration. To keep the rim bright, hit it with a light polishing of brasso every two weeks. If you lacquer it, the shine might last a while longer. Generally, hot brass will "tone" the instant the heat rises in it, and the brass will tarnish under the lacquer, which makes it harder to repolish.

Hope this helps,

Tim

We use Autosol which is a polish from Germany. It's pricey but the results are perfect. It takes brass from yellow to a bright golden white. However, some surface preparation must be done since it will not remove heavy corrosion. I've had great results with scotch-brite pads for a die grinder to remove light corrosion, they don't scratch the brass like a wire wheel would.

I use Metal Doctor (A dilute sulfric acid solution) it works with very tarnished brass, it removes the corrosion, turns it pink. Then rub with Neverdull, and rub and rub until it looks like brass again . A lot of work But it works!
I did an old brass whistle so I can say that it works.
I don't recommond using a buffing wheel, it will round any sharp corners, I used to buff at a former job, It removes metal, I can buff a scratch out of brass but what I'm doing is removing the metal around it.

...just short of 300 pages, this book, The Antique American Steam Gauge is a pretty good source of information on identifying and restoring your gauges. The author also recommends the "Metal Doctor" product mentioned in other posts on this thread.

oh yeah, other than owning a copy of the above mentioned tome, I have no vested interest in the item referred to.

sc 'doc' lewis